Zingle Helps Zoom Food Order Texts To Subway

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Zingle, an all new text messaging order system for retail establishments, will launch a market-wide test program at more than 30 San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Bakersfield Subway restaurants Wednesday.

The campaign follows a successful run at some outlets, where more than 90 percent of customers queried expect to frequent the restaurant more often because of the text ordering system’s convenience.

“We’ve been using the Zingle service for a while now and discovered that it not only significantly improves our customer loyalty and satisfaction, but also increases our ability to field more orders and generate higher revenues without increasing our overhead,” says Jeff Drucker, one of the franchise owners participating in the trial.

“Another compelling aspect is that we pay only a flat monthly fee for the system, not a ‘per order’ charge," he says. "So the more people we get to use the system, the more revenue we add directly to our bottom line.”

In the Subway trial, each restaurant will be provided a small text message ordering machine with a unique 10-digit text message ordering number. Individuals can then text in their order, which will be received in less than one-minute by the store. An automatic confirmation message, customizable by every outlet, is then sent back to the customer informing them how long until his or her food will be ready. When the customer walks in, the store has the order already prepared so the transaction can occur immediately.

The Zingle system also enables retail outlets to send promotional text messages to opt-in subscribers if desired.

“Studies have shown that the average U.S. mobile phone subscriber sends and receives more text messages than voice calls," says Ford Blakely, founder and CEO of Zingle. "It’s the primarily way many individuals are communicating with others."

Blakely continued to say, "The problem is that until now, even if companies send promotional messages to a person’s cell phone, they force them to get in line, stay on hold, or log on to a Web site. The Zingle service is a convenient and cost-effective way for outlets like Subway to take care of customers better and more often in a manner that they want. It’s truly a win-win situation for both the store and their patrons.”